


Ango's Birthday Surprise

by Kikithehousemoose, milozel



Series: With Those We Love Alive [3]
Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, this is all joy no sadness, various dogs - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-22
Updated: 2017-07-22
Packaged: 2018-12-05 07:45:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11573559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kikithehousemoose/pseuds/Kikithehousemoose, https://archiveofourown.org/users/milozel/pseuds/milozel
Summary: Lucretia is at a loss as to what a boy like Angus deserves for his birthday. Magnus has the perfect solution.





	Ango's Birthday Surprise

**Author's Note:**

> Based off of this post http://crispilee.tumblr.com/post/162870803413/i-had-an-idea-of-a-modern-au-where-magnus-walks 
> 
> It was originally going to be a dog-walking thing and just kind of spiraled into this   
> We regret nothing

 

**Lucy:** Magnus.    
**Lucy:** We have a problem.   
**MAGNUS!:** What’s up?  
**Lucy:** Angus’s birthday is soon.    
**Lucy:** I don’t know what to do.    
**MAGNUS!** : Have a party????    
**Lucy:** No.    
**Lucy:** I mean, yes.    
**Lucy:** I meant as far as gifts.    
**Lucy:** I don’t know what’s adequate for a child of his caliber.    
**MAGNUS!:** Oh    
**MAGNUS!:** Get him a dog    
**Lucy:** …

 

**INCOMING CALL:** **_Lucy_**  
  
It was hard to wrangle the phone up to his ear given that he was holding around 18 different leashes, but he had done it enough times before that he was able to accept with ease.   
  
“Yeah?”  
“I’m sorry, I must have read you wrong. I was asking what to get Angus for his birthday.”   
“Uh, yeah. A dog.”   
“I--.. no? Where would I get a dog.”   
“ _Lucretia._ Hold on, I’m putting you on speaker.”   
“Why--” 

“ _ Say hi to Lucretia!” _

 

Seven dogs barking at once sounded a lot more chaotic over the phone. On her end, Lucretia flinched away, protesting a few times before Magnus switched the setting off.    
  
“There are seven dogs right here who would love you two, Lucy. All you’ve gotta do is ask.”    
“I… Magnus, I appreciate it, but I can’t…”   
“Why? Lilly, don’t pee right there-..”   
“I don’t… know.. How, exactly.”   
“You don’t know how to dog?”   
“That’s right, Magnus. I don’t know how. Whoever let the dogs out, it was not me.”   
“HA! So, uhh, you a cat person then?”   
  
Jupiter tugged his arm away as she responded, making it all but lost to time until he was able to pull back. The golden retriever turned to shoot him a look, which Maggie smiled back to. 

 

“Sorry, what was that?”   
“Um, yes. I’ve.. only ever had cats, really. Dogs are a different breed entirely.”   
“Well, yeah, that’s the point.”    
She laughed. “No, you know what I mean.”

“Yeah, yeah. Well, they aren’t so hard once you get used to em. And you know one of us is always around if you need help.”    
“Right…”

 

Snapple lifted his leg to pee on Magnus’s boot. The man looked down just in time to tap him away, muttering “ _ no”  _ and pointing to a bush that was being occupied by Toretto. Snapple huffed and walked in a circle before going to sniff Bailey’s butt. 

 

“I can bring them over, if you want? Let you and Ango feel them out before you decide. I mean, it’ll take away from the surprise, but…”   
“No! No, that’s a good idea Magnus. I’ll leave the door unlocked.”    
“Okay. On my way.”

 

-

 

A knock sounded from the front door of the house. A few moments later, small footsteps sounded from the other side of the door. Getting louder and louder as time went on.

 

The door clicked open to reveal Angus,greeted with a face full of dogs. Seven of them, almost right at his height, practically pounced on him at once. He barely had enough reaction time to take off his glasses, tossing them to Lucretia with trust as the dogs all but surrounded him, smothering him in licks and happy paw prints.

 

“ _ Oh boy,  _ u-um, n-not all at once please! Oh, gosh, hello--” It was impossible to pet all of them at once, but he seemed determined to try as they pushed him towards the ground. “O-oh god, oh please don’t smother me, I’m just a little boy I don’t want to die--” 

 

‘Don’t worry Ango, they won’t--  _ Bailey, off! _ \- They won’t get ‘cha.”

“O-oh, thank you sir. Boy, I thought I was a goner..” He backed up as Magnus reigned in the beasts, fixing his bowtie and brushing himself off. “What, um, what’s this all for, exactly?”

 

“They’re for you.” She knelt down, returning the boy’s glasses. He looked up at her and back at the dogs, blinking.    
“F-for me? Are… are you getting me  _ all  _ of these dogs, mo--ma’am?”   
She laughed nervously as Magnus nodded his head. “Um, no. Only one. It was supposed to be a surprise but.. We thought it would be best if you got to choose.”

 

He was being butted up against by three other dogs by then, all of them sniffing curiously and giving licks to various parts of his body. He puffed his cheeks and flinched, trying not to laugh. 

 

“Oh! I-I really appreciate it. This is the best surprise ever! But how am I supposed to choose?” 

 

Magnus knelt down to his level, still somehow corralling the beasts as he looked the kid dead in the eye.    
“You have to listen to your heart, Angus. Just trust yourself. A bond will form between you and whoever you pick before you even know it, you just gotta keep yourself open.”   
  
He swallowed. “Oh. Um, okay. Right. Like in the movie Avatar!”   
“Not at all like that. Hey Angus? Don’t.”

“A-alright sir.”   
“C’mon, you gotta focus. Which one of these seven dogs do you pick.”

“But sir, I only see six dogs.” Angus looked around for the seventh dog and spotted movement in the corner. Jupiter was sitting alone looking back at Angus. He wondered why she was by herself, tail hung low and eyes wide and sad. 

“Magnus..? Why is she all by herself?”   
He looked around for a second before catching his meaning. “Oh, Jupiter? She’s got some anxiety we still haven’t worked out. Great around people, not so much around other dogs. You wanna go talk to her?” Angus nodded and began to walk over to the corner where the golden retriever sat. But before he reached her, Angus looked back at the dogs that were attempting to follow him.

“Don’t worry Ango, I got these little guys.”

Angus knelt down in front of Jupiter and let out his hand to be sniffed. Instead of reaching her neck down to say hello, she pawed gently at Angus’ outstretched hand, in an attempt to shake it.   
The two adults aww’d softly from the corner as he gasped. “Good girl..” he found himself muttering. She looked up at him as though expecting a treat and he reached out his other hand to pet her. 

 

“Aww, she likes you.”   
“I-I like her too, sir! She’s a very good girl. C-can I keep her?” He turned to look at Lucretia for approval. The woman in question was being circled by the dogs Magnus had contained, looking anxious as they sniffed and jumped at her gleefully. Her head snapped up when she was addressed and she took in the scene, her heart warming itself despite her own uncomfortable situation. 

“If you really want to, Angus, then yes. We can keep her.”

 

Angus McDonald was a child of many smiles, but the one he gave when he looked back at his new friend could light up the whole world. It was a radiant smile, full of joy and relief and childlike wonder. It was how a kid was supposed to look, and seeing him like that made the two elders happy too. Slowly, Jupiter’s tail started wagging. Angus sat down in front of her and beckoned her to come forward, praising her with pats and soft whispers as she started licking his face. The dog plopped into his lap and he let out a happy noise. “Oh, thank you so much! I love you, sweet girl!”

  
Lucretia wiped at her eyes, hands over her heart as if to try and steady it.    
“Happy birthday, Angus.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Important universe notes:  
> Magnus volunteers at an animal shelter. Because of course he does.


End file.
